Three dice games can be played by multiple players thanks to clear, simple rules that are easy to understand. 3 dice games are fun and more enjoyable played by a group of players since it’s easy to play and hard to win at the same time.
It’s not easy to trace the history of 3 dice games, unlike modern family dice games, since the majority were developed long ago with no record found. However, dice games are not limited to only three die, and other are played with 2, 5 and even 6 dice.
3 dice games are traditional games that are played between two or more players. Their main objectives are typically based on numbers from the dice’s total.
Even though the games are simple, the odds of a player winning the game are mostly random, which makes gameplay interesting.
3 dice games are among the oldest gambling dice games frequently played in cheap bars worldwide, however the games have grown into family fun over the years.
The best three-dice games include:
- Cee-lo
- Left Right Center
- 4, 5, 6
- Bunco
- Going to Boston
- Spot
This article focuses on the best three dice games. Answered below are frequently asked questions about 3 dice games including basic rules about the gameplay.
What dice game is played with 3 dice?
As the game suggests, 3 dice games are played with three, six-sided dice. There exist basic rules, but there is a lot of variation in the gameplay depending on the style of game.
Some of the best games played with 3 dice include:
Cee-lo
It’s a gambling game that is played with three six-sided dice. The name is derived from the Chinese word Sì-Wú-Lìù, which implies 4-5-6.
For the players to win the game, and they are required to roll a winning combination of 4, 5, and 6 for the three dice. Apart from the winning combination, the game has certain rules for the rolls to get points.
It comes to an end where two players roll their dice and try to compare the points. The points determine the winner of the game, and if a player roll the dice off the table and onto the floor, the player gets an automatic loss.
The set of rules is grouped into two main categories, which depends on how the betting is handled.
For banking games, one of the players must serve as the banker whose role is to cover any individual bet of each player in the game. For non-banking games, all players have equal status quo in the game.
Left Right Center (or LCR)
LCR is a fun game that uses 3 dice with three players and at least nine tokens.
Each player is given three poker chips at the beginning of the game. In case there are no chips, then coins, buttons or other markers are allowed.
There are numbers designated on the dice, and the dots represent these letters. R indicates the players on the right, C at the center, and L at the left.
- For face 4, the player at the left is given a chip
- For face 5, the player at the center gets a chip
- For face 6, the player at the right gets a chip
- For the rest of the number rolled, a player has to get the same number of chips.
4, 5, 6
The game is played mostly in betting casinos using three dice to get the highest-scoring roll. At the beginning of the game, one player has to be selected to be the banker.
The banker has to place their stake, and other players have to match the stake. Once players have placed all bets, the roll determines a win or loss.
Bunco
12 or more players can play this game because the players are divided into four groups that try to compete for points as they take turns rolling three dice.
Players take turns over a series of six rounds.
A player wins when they get a bunco, which is three-of-a-kind. However, the three numbers must suit the round number as well.
Going to Boston
The game is played at least by three or more players who sit in a circle with a center purposely reserved for dice rolling. During a player’s turn, they have to make three rolls.
The first throw, the dice with the highest number after the roll is put aside. The remaining two dice are reserved for the second roll.
The numbers for the three throws are summed together to get the final score. The player who gets the highest score in that round wins the game.
Spot
The game is also known as flower petals, and this name comes from scoring numbers that involve 1, 3 and 5.
The dice faces 1, 3, and 5 are worth points. 1 is worth one point, 3 is worth two points, and 5 is worth four points. The player with the highest score from the three throws for the three dice wins the game.
3 Dice Game Rules
The rules for 3 dice games varies based on the gameplay. However, there are a couple of basic formatting rules that are similar across the setup of each game.
- Players have to place their bets against the banker who places the bet first.
- The banker is the first player to make the roll of the three dice.
- If the banker makes a three-of-a-kind, then they win the game. In addition, any combination with 6, for instance 4,5,6, then the banker wins the game.
- The mutual agreement decides the banker between the players, but if more than one player is interested in the role, the players roll the dice, and the highest roll starts the game.
- The banker loses the bet if the roll turns out to be any pair, including one, for instance 1, 2, 3.
- A combination without face one or 6 is meaningless. Thus, the banker and the player must continue with the rolling until any combination is achieved.
3-Dice Games: Conclusion
These classic three-dice games are played with six-sided dice. The games are popular with both kids and adults, which is fun because of their simple rules.
However, the games are not easy to win despite the fact, which makes it a fun and interesting.
Most of these 3 dice games are played in betting casinos because they involve a large amount of risk, luck and chance. They involve the rolling of all three dice, and the scoring varies depending on the game being played.
Mostly 3 dice games involve a banker who places the initial bet, and all other players have to bet against the shooters stake. If the banker gets the combination of 6 wins the bet, but if the roll turns out to have a combination of 1, the banker losses the bet.
Player rolls the die to determine who becomes the banker if more than one player is interested in the role. The banker can place a bet of their choice, but the players can decide on the minimum amount required for the stake.
If the throw of dice doesn’t give a combination of 1 or 6, it’s meaningless, and hence, the players should continue rolling until they get a score-able combination. The objective in many of the 3 dice games is to beat the banker’s score to win the bet.
In other games, the player who finishes with the highest score wins the game. There are variations of rules depending on the game played, but the common theme between 3 dice games is simplicity and easy gameplay.